It may be more common these days to hear doom and gloom stories of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, but exciting discoveries of new species do happen and give heart to conservationists the world over. …

In Singapore, where space is tight, nature conservation faces some difficult odds. And no one is more familiar with the challenges than Dr Ho Hua Chew of IUCN Member organization the Singapore Nature Society who has fought for years for official recognition of the island state’s wildlife. …

“In 1984, when I was a Divisional Forest Officer, I was kidnapped in the thick forest of Dadu, in southern Pakistan. The armed gang kept me in captivity for two nights but it seemed like a thousand years. My confidence was shattered and my career took a turn for what I thought at the time was the worst. After this, I decided to work on coastal conservation. This change, which involved restoring mangroves, was actually a blessing in disguise. It gave me a platform to chart completely unexplored territory in Pakistan.” …

Office? The jungle. Colleagues? Elephants, rhinos and tigers. Naresh Subedi has many stories to tell. Stories that are not only fascinating and impressive but that can also make your hair stand on end. …

In a country like Laos, where rapid socio-economic development is driven by the exploitation of natural resources, and the human and financial resources to protect the environment are extremely scarce, nature conservation is not the highest priority. Phaivanh Phiapalath, IUCN's Senior Programme Officer specialized in protected areas management and wildlife in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, has found a way to put nature on top of many people’s agendas. His secret is 'friendly communication'. …